Glee Movie Review: Much More Than Music

The secret to the success of Glee: The 3D Concert Movie is that it is so much more than the live music performed on stage. It captures a moment in time when a hit TV show changed how we view ourselves as a people.

Glee: The 3D Concert Movie sets the landscape of its cinematic intentions early. Masses of people are walking into a faceless arena. Fans are dressed in their Glee costumed best. Many scream their delight directly into the camera as they head in to see the cast of Glee perform live. The feeling is electric.

A few offer their insight into how the show has changed their lives. Then, those opening chords that launched a pop culture sensation begin from the stage inside. Whereas in Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, it was difficult to establish the need for 3D, when the Glee cast launches into Don’t Stop Believin’ and the cameras take the audience over the crowd to the stage, it is a chill-inducing moment. Hardcore Glee fans may even find themselves tearing up.

Glee: The 3D Concert Movie is for Glee fans, but it is not designed to solely serve them.

The Ryan Murphy created masterwork, with its entire dance till you drop tunes and the jaw-dropping vocal prowess of its cast, is at its heart a lesson in humanity. The message is clear: We are all one. Period.

When the entire cast headed out on the road earlier this summer, Murphy’s team sought to capture the experience of the show while simultaneously utilizing the medium of movies to further expand their messages’ reach. The fourth wall of film is broken in those opening moments when we get inside the Glee phenomenon and see how its power has resonated, particularly with America’s next generation of leaders.

Cameras follow a few concertgoers home and the power of the TV smash becomes clear. Whether you are short, tall, gay or straight, mother or father, childless or a child -- we are all welcomed in Ryan Murphy’s world.

When the film comes to its close, the song the entire cast sings could not be more fitting as a theme for the entire film. Loser Like Me is not only one of the series’ few original songs, its lyrics sum up the entire Glee nation. Then again, the film’s second song, Sing, could also serve as an anthem. See, that’s the thing with Glee the TV show, live tour, show soundtracks and Glee: The 3D Movie, every inch of it fits perfectly and speaks volumes beyond what it appears to be on the surface.